In a quilted thumbnail is the cover image of Simplicity 6006, a doll clothes pattern for making a plush Holly Hobbie doll and plenty of pioneer style dresses for her. This image comes from Chelly Wood dot com.

Learning to sew with a vintage Holly Hobbie plush doll pattern #HollyHobbie #DollClothesPatterns

Have you ever made a plush doll? Well I have. In fact, this Holly Hobbie doll and clothing pattern provided me with the patterns for making my first plush doll, and I have happy memories of working with this pattern. To read what I’ve written about this pattern in past blog posts, just click on a title below that sounds interesting to you: Tips for … Continue reading Learning to sew with a vintage Holly Hobbie plush doll pattern #HollyHobbie #DollClothesPatterns

This is the thumbnail for a #DoApick game, in which we choose which doll and which doll dress we want to take to a 1970’s square dance. The image shows a vintage Skipper in a white top and red floral skirt. To play along, click on the image and view the YouTube Shorts video to choose which doll and which outfit you would choose from a selection of three options. The background behind the cell phone image is purple with a rainbow of clouds in green, yellow, and blue arching behind the cell phone, reminding us of a bygone era. The text reads, “Do a Pick” followed by “at a square dance.”

Let’s Do a Pick — Take your Barbie Dolls to a Square Dance!

  If you weren’t alive in 1972, then you probably think the early 70’s were all about hippies and Woodstock. But actually, pioneers were in fashion, and a favorite TV show for family viewing was Little House on the Prairie. I remember my parents participating in square dancing as a fun event for couples, and it was very popular from 1972 all the way through … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Take your Barbie Dolls to a Square Dance!

Image of "Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance" vintage Mattel, Inc. Toymakers Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern #2895 with the ChellyWood logo, surrounded by a variety of quilting fabrics in turquoise blue and purple.

Learning to sew with Sew-Easy by Advance 2895 vintage doll clothes patterns for Barbie #VintageBarbie #DollClothesPatterns

The Sew-Easy by Advance doll clothes patterns in my collection are among some of my all-time favorites because they’re just… well… SO vintage! The projects in this Advance 2895 envelope have inspired me to create new patterns, they have taught me techniques I’d never seen before, and I’ve written articles on this website, sharing the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. If you’d … Continue reading Learning to sew with Sew-Easy by Advance 2895 vintage doll clothes patterns for Barbie #VintageBarbie #DollClothesPatterns

The simplicity 4510 Barbie wardrobe includes everything a lady would need for a honeymoon: a bikini, a swimsuit coverup with super short skirt; a dining-out dress with a one-shoulder bodice and pencil skirt topped with a tulle over-skirt; a 3/4 length sleeve jacket with matching A-line skirt underneath; a plaid hostess-style dress with a ribbon for a waistband; a nightgown with lace bodice; and of course the wedding gown, which is very 1960's in its style, with a fitted bodice that has short sleeves and a square neckline, flowing into a full, long skirt that has a very large ribbon tied around the waist (and a veil connected to the head with a tiny ribbon at the top).

Learning to sew with Simplicity’s vintage Barbie bridal honeymoon doll clothes pattern 4510 #vintageBride #DollClothesPatterns

I’m calling today’s vintage Barbie pattern, the “bridal honeymoon set” because Simplicity 4510 has everything a fashionable lady of the 1960’s would need, if she was going to get married and enjoy a vacation honeymoon! There’s a swimsuit, a coverup, a lace-top nightgown, an evening gown for dinner parties, a jacket and skirt for a shopping day, an everyday dress, and of course, a beautiful … Continue reading Learning to sew with Simplicity’s vintage Barbie bridal honeymoon doll clothes pattern 4510 #vintageBride #DollClothesPatterns

Here we see a thumbnail with the heading: the Barbie movie: what did you think? Below the heading is a theater filled with hot pink seats and a movie projector running in the background. The Chelly Wood dot com logo appears in one corner. This is the thumbnail image for Chelly Wood's review of the Barbie movie.

Okaaay… So I went to the Barbie movie, and yes, this blog post has spoilers.

I suppose I’m a bit of a prude when it comes to Barbie. There was so much hype about this movie, that I wasn’t going to go see it. I mean, I started sewing for Barbie when I was literally three years old. I’ve had a relationship with this doll longer than the CEO of Mattel has been alive. They couldn’t possibly make a movie … Continue reading Okaaay… So I went to the Barbie movie, and yes, this blog post has spoilers.

In this image, the Chelly Wood doll holds up McCall's "teen doll" pattern #3429 which was published in 1972. In the blog post at ChellyWood.com, where this pattern is discussed, Chelly Wood (a doll clothing pattern designer) asks the question, "Do you prefer to come up with your own fabric concepts, or do you like to choose a fabric that matches the illustration on the front of the doll clothes pattern?" The Chelly Wood doll is actually a Spin Master Liv doll that has been made over to look like the actual doll clothes pattern designer, Chelly Wood.

Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 3429 #sewvintage #DollClothesPatterns

Today’s retro fashion doll pattern, McCall’s 3429 from the 1970’s has definitely given me some challenges — especially with that swimsuit (aka bodysuit) pattern! But as I worked with the McCall’s 3429 pattern, I learned a lot along the way. Today’s blog post gives you an opportunity to learn from my sewing adventures with McCall’s 3429! Read about the struggles I had with the swimsuit/bodysuit in … Continue reading Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 3429 #sewvintage #DollClothesPatterns

Here we see the full front display of Vogue Craft Pattern #9964, which offers patterns for making doll clothes that will fit a vintage Tutti, vintage Skipper, Vintage Barbie, Bubble Hair Barbie, and vintage Midge dolls.

Learning to sew with reproduction Barbie doll pattern Vogue 9964 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I enjoy sewing commercially-made vintage Barbie patterns. But what about the reproduction patterns that are so popular? One of the first reproduction vintage Barbie patterns I remember buying is Vogue Crafts 9964. But what did I learn from this pattern? In the following blog posts, I share the lessons I’ve learned form Vogue … Continue reading Learning to sew with reproduction Barbie doll pattern Vogue 9964 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

Framed by a purple and turquoise blue quilt, here we see a photo of vintage Ken doll clothes pattern number 2899 from Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance. Over the top of the vintage Ken doll clothes pattern, the words "BTS doll" are followed by a question mark. The ChellyWood.com logo appears beside the photo, to the left of the photo.

Learning to sew with Advance vintage Ken doll clothes sewing pattern 2899 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

I wish I had time to make every outfit in this set of patterns! Sew Easy by Advance 2899 for vintage Ken dolls has got to be one of the rarest doll clothes patterns in my collection. Check out the cravat in View 1! It has tiny paisleys on it! Ooh, he’s a dapper fellow… Today’s blog post gives you an opportunity to revisit the … Continue reading Learning to sew with Advance vintage Ken doll clothes sewing pattern 2899 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

In this image, the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll with a Chelly Wood makeover) holds up the McCalls Crafts pattern number 5462. The image is framed by a blue and purple quilt.

Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 5462 #sewingalterations #DollClothesPatterns

Back in May, I did a whole series of blog posts on the shirts from McCall’s 5462 Barbie and Ken doll clothes patterns from the 1980’s. Believe it or not, the shirts in views G and B are tremendously easy to sew and to make alterations to. Why? You don’t have to attach a sleeve! But I’ve actually written other blog posts on this versatile … Continue reading Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 5462 #sewingalterations #DollClothesPatterns

With a quilted frame around it, we see a section of a McCall's vintage fashion doll clothes sewing pattern for making a cape that will fit a fashion doll like Barbie and similar-sized dolls.

Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 6420 #sewvintage #DollClothesPatterns

Do you know what’s amazing about the McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern #6420? It’s double-sided! Yup! There are images of the different doll clothes you can make on both the front AND the back of this pattern envelope. Can you believe it? Check out the other side: As you can see, it’s got a swimsuit pattern, an underpants pattern, and Ken’s felt shoes– whoa! … Continue reading Learning to sew with McCall’s vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern 6420 #sewvintage #DollClothesPatterns

Learning to sew with McCall’s Crafts pattern number 4400 #sewing #DollClothesPatterns

If you’re looking for a wide variety of patterns for Barbie, McCall’s 4400 has some great options. It offers three styles of pants, four evening gown styles, a wedding dress, a cape, business attire with two totally different looks, and a cute shorts-with-top casual summer outfit. Wow! What a selection! Clicking on the links below will help you revisit my blog posts on McCall’s 4400 … Continue reading Learning to sew with McCall’s Crafts pattern number 4400 #sewing #DollClothesPatterns

This Do-a-Pick game thumbnail shows a 1970s Ken doll wearing "Shore Lines" doll clothes with flippers and a windbreaker that zips down the front. The text in the thumbnail says, "ken doll boyfriend bribe." There's a colorful yell, blue, and green rainbow or cloud behind a cell phone that has the Ken image on it. All of this is on a purple background.

Let’s Do a Pick — Mom’s boyfriend bribes you with a new Ken doll… #DoApick #vintageDollCollector

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Talking Ken in Beach Clothes Talking Ken in Breakfast at 7 Regular Ken wearing Shore Lines What’s the story behind this game? When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls and their clothing items. Then we would “do a pick.” That’s where you take turns picking which … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Mom’s boyfriend bribes you with a new Ken doll… #DoApick #vintageDollCollector

The photo shows Sew Easy by Advance doll clothes around-the-clock wardrobe (pattern number 2896. Six different costumes are pictured on the envelope. view one is a pair of pajamas; view 2 is a basic dress with short sleeves; view 3 is a white shirt with green skirt; view 4 is a Jackie-Kennedy-esque sleeveless dress with a white collar, view 5 has a sleeveless bodice on a dress with a ruffle trim; view 6 shows ankle pants and a boat-neck shirt.

Learning to sew with Advance sewing pattern 2896 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

I love, love love this vintage Barbie doll clothes pattern, from Sew-Easy Patterns by Advance, which was published in 1962. It’s called the “Around-the-Clock” wardrobe, and it was designed to fit the original Mattel Barbie dolls. Today’s blog post gives you an opportunity to revisit those older posts right here, so you can learn more about the Sew-Easy Pattern 2896, if you’re working with that … Continue reading Learning to sew with Advance sewing pattern 2896 #VintageSewing #DollClothesPatterns

This is the thumbnail for a #DoApick game, in which we choose which vintage carrying case we would choose. The image shows a vintage Mattel World of Barbie trunk. To play along, click on the image and view the YouTube Shorts video to choose which doll carrying case you would choose from a selection of three options.

Let’s Do a Pick — Which doll carrying case would you pick from this vintage collection? #DoApick #vintageBarbie

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Barbie Ballet Box World of Barbie Trunk Skipper Carrying Case What’s the story behind this game? When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls and their clothing items. Then we would “do a pick.” That’s where you take turns picking which doll or dolls you’ll play with … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — Which doll carrying case would you pick from this vintage collection? #DoApick #vintageBarbie

This is the thumbnail for a #DoApick game, in which we choose which vintage Barbie doll to play the parts of Liesl von Trapp, Marta von Trapp, and Louisa von Trapp, choosing between a vintage Francie doll, a vintage Skipper doll, and a vintage Tutti doll. The image shows a vintage Skipper doll wearing a coat and beret, and walking across an alpine meadow. To play along, click on the image and view the YouTube Shorts video to choose which doll you want to play with in a game of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music.”

Let’s Do a Pick — This time we’re playing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” with dolls! #DoApick #vintageDollCollector

Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following: Vintage Francie Vintage Skipper Tutti doll What’s the story behind this game? When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls and their clothing items. Then we would “do a pick.” That’s where you take turns picking which doll or dolls you’ll play with and which outfits or accessories … Continue reading Let’s Do a Pick — This time we’re playing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” with dolls! #DoApick #vintageDollCollector